Greater New Orleans

Nagin is the Real Joke not the Homeless

May 16, 2008...This week in a speech to a convention of public relations professionals, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin cracked that the best way to deal with the homeless problem was to "find some bus tickets. We'll see, one way." What kind of solution is this? Homelessness is a very serious issue that needs to be addressed. It is a catastrophe that 12,000 people are living on the streets of New Orleans. The problem has only gotten worse during the Nagin administration. In the immediate aftermath of Katrina, Nagin called on people to return to New Orleans, even though the housing stock was not restored. Certainly Nagin contributed to the problem the city is facing today. His lack of leadership on the issue has been apparent ever since Katrina. For months, Nagin has promised to address the growing homeless population encamped at the intersection of Canal and Claiborne Avenues; however, he has failed to take effective action. Today, hundreds of people still live in horrible conditions at this uninviting gateway to downtown New Orleans. The homeless problem cannot be solved with one-way tickets out of town, but it does need to be addressed. Here is where true political leadership could play a major role, but, unfortunately, that commodity is in short supply in New Orleans.

The fact that Nagin would joke about the homeless problem should not be a big surprise for the Mayor fancies himself as a real jokester. Not long ago, this stand up comic/Mayor was joking that he was "vagina friendly." This was Nagin's rather unusual way of welcoming the "Vagina Monologues" to the city of New Orleans. However, the real joke is Mayor Ray Nagin and his dysfunctional administration, which has stopped fulfilling even the basic requirements of representative local government. It is debatable whether the Nagin administration was ever efficiently operating, but at this point, it seems to be just marking time and wasting tax dollars.

Currently, New Orleans has a surging crime problem, a homeless crisis, a stalled recovery, an infrastructure nightmare, public education challenges and many more issues to address. Sadly, Nagin is so immature that he does not deal with tough questions from the media and has stopped interacting with WWL TV, Channel 4 because the station had the audacity to investigate his lax work schedule.

The New Orleans City Council has become so frustrated with the administration that they are threatening subpoenas. The administration has refused to comply with requests for information on the 311 phone system and the debacle involving the crime cameras. While crime is surging, the majority of these cameras are inoperable. What is especially infuriating is that crimes are being committed right underneath the broken cameras.

Nagin's chief aides have been exposed spending thousands of dollars on lavish meals entertaining politicians. Government watchdogs have rightfully criticized lobbyists for spending too much money wining and dining politicians. Yet, it is even worse for government bureaucrats to waste taxpayer dollars on political operatives and power brokers. The Mayor has not appropriately responded to questions about why tax dollars should be used to pay for lavish meals at expensive restaurants such as Morton's Steakhouse.

With all of these controversies swirling around, Nagin seems unconcerned and more interested in joke telling and building his national profile. New Orleans will not recover until Nagin leaves office and when someone with real leadership ability can try to reorganize City Hall and manage the many problems facing the city.

Nagin is an embarrassment, but the people of New Orleans have no one to blame but themselves, for they voted for him. For many years to come, they will continue to suffer the negative consequences of that horrible decision.